Rahul Gandhi defends himself after being quoted by Pakistan
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday came out to defend himself after Pakistan quoted him in a letter to the United Nations. He said Kashmir is India's internal issue and there is no room for Pakistan or any other foreign country to interfere.
Gandhi was forced to give a clarification after Pakistan's Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari quoted him on "people dying" in Jammu and Kashmir.
"I disagree with this Govt. on many issues. But, let me make this absolutely clear: Kashmir is India’s internal issue & there is no room for Pakistan or any other foreign country to interfere in it," Rahul Gandhi said in his tweet today.
"There is violence in Jammu & Kashmir. There is violence because it is instigated and supported by Pakistan which is known to be the prime supporter of terrorism across the world," the Congress leader added.
Pakistan on Tuesday wrote to the United Nations over the Kashmir issue. It claimed human rights violations in the region, a charge which has been rejected several times by India.
Pakistan's Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari, who wrote the letter, cried foul over abrogation of Article 35A and Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. Mazari mentioned Rahul Gandhi claiming that he noted "people dying" in Jammu and Kashmir.
Mazari said in his letter: "Acts of violence have been acknowledged by mainstream politicians, such as the leader of the Congress party, Mr. Rahul Gandhi who has noted "people dying" in Jammu and Kashmir, in light of events "going very wrong there."
Meanwhile, Pakistan on Tuesday said it was mulling a complete ban on the use of the country's airspace by Indian flights. Minister of Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry said the decisions to close the airspace with India and to ban the use of Pakistan's land routes for India's trade with Afghanistan were taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Pakistan had fully closed its airspace in February after an Indian Air Force strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror camp in Balakot. The country opened its airspace for all flights except for New Delhi, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur on March 27.
On May 15, Pakistan extended its airspace ban for flights to India till May 30. It fully opened its airspace for all civilian traffic on July 16.
Pakistan has already suspended its trade with India and stopped the train and bus services in protest to India's August 5 decision to end Jammu and Kashmir's special status.
Tensions between India and Pakistan spiked after India abrogated provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution to withdraw Jammu and Kashmir's special status and bifurcated it into two Union Territories, evoking strong reactions from Pakistan.
India has categorically told the international community that the scrapping of Article 370 was an internal matter and also advised Pakistan to accept the reality.
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